Rise of the Phoenix
by Kayomie Latoro
Summary: A reclusive gymnast becomes a vigilante through a twist of fate and joins forces with the SWAT Kats to save her soul. How will she protect the protectors if she's in love with one of them?


Rise of the Phoenix

Ch. 1: SWAT and Ice Meet

A/N: Okay, I don't own the SWAT Kats… Wish I did, then there'd be more episodes… Anyway, I hope you guys are a little easy on me since I only recently rediscovered the show and I'm only doing this because my brain won't let up on thinking up story ideas and driving me crazy!

A young she-kat swung easily off of the uneven bars, somersaulting several times in midair before landing safely on both paws and sticking the landing. Her dark gold fur glinted under the fluorescent lighting as she straightened and triumphantly threw her paws up into the air, her lighter golden ponytail getting flung out of her emerald eyes as she did so. Her eyes were lit with victory as she grinned, flashing two pairs of fangs. Her small, but compactly muscled, slim frame had its curves accentuated by the red leotard with a phoenix's silhouette outlined in golden glitter.

Applause accompanied her overjoyed laughter at successfully completing her routine. "And that was Kaya Latoro from Megakat City!" the announcer cheered over the loudspeakers. The cheering escalated as the female walked to where her team and coach awaited her at the bench; where Kaya plopped into a seat with a relieved sigh.

"Nice job, Kaya," her coach, Tino Claw, congratulated. The silver tom with black stripes had worked with her since she was a teenager, teaching her the majority of the moves she used in her career today. He passed her a large water bottle and a towel. The she-kat smiled gratefully as she took them and wiped off her face with the towel and gulped some cool water from the water bottle.

"Thanks, Coach," she replied in a faintly low, smooth-as-satin voice. "I guess all the extra practice I've been doing paid off. Who says I don't work hard?"

"It's the opposite that kats say, Kaya," the tom replied with a grin. "You keep this up, soon you won't have a personal life to go back to."

"I didn't realize one went away, Tino," Kaya murmured monotonously, hoping that her coach didn't actually hear her. Sadly, Lady Luck was absent at the moment.

"Yeah, it does. Why do you think I actually encourage you hide out at home after each meet?" Tino asked in confusion.

Kaya snorted with a smirk on her face." Good point," she replied as she stood to leave. "Call me with my scores, Tino. Remember, I've got a plane to catch so I can go home… I've been away a little too long."

"No problem, Kaya. A couple years is much longer than you're usually gone. I'm proud you've stayed this long, but you're overdue for a break, kiddo," Tino replied.

"I know. Thanks," Kaya answered as she walked off to the locker room to change. "Later!"

"Later," Tino called back. His black eyes were already glued to the next team member on the mat.

2 weeks later…

"Jake, are you watching that gymnastics meet tape again?" Chance Furlong asked in amusement at his friend's choice of entertainment. He and his partner had gotten the day's cars fixed in record time and were going through the tapes they both kept when there was something they might miss because of work. Well, both types of work caused them to miss many types of shows…

"There's nothing wrong with gymnastics, Chance. A lot of the competitors are extremely strong and talented. For example," Jake began as he pointed one cinnamon furred claw at the golden female on the uneven bars on the television screen. "Kaya Latoro, from the Megakat City team, can do a multitude of things from floor exercises, to the uneven bars, which takes a lot of flexibility and strength to be any good at. Besides that, from what little anyone knows about her, Kaya is also a martial arts master and could probably take on a kat twice her size."

"Sounds like someone has a crush on a sports star," Chance teased with a wide grin. The brown-striped yellow tabby evaded the pillow his friend threw at him before he continued. "But I get your point, Jake. She certainly **looks** like someone who can handle being on her own."

"When she can be on her own, she normally is," Jake replied. "That's one of her special abilities. She can hide in the middle of a room if she wants to… And she normally does. That's why there are a lot of gaps in her career. That's when she hides out from the sports world and the news."

"Too bad we don't have such luck," Chance stated with a note of admiration in his voice. "The SWAT Kats just can't seem to keep from making the news somewhere."

"At least the tabloids leave us alone for the most part," Jake pointed out. "Poor Kaya doesn't have such a luxury."

"Good point," Chance replied.

Suddenly, the klaxon alarm went off, cutting short the conversation. Chance and Jake raced downstairs the trapdoor in the garage that led to the secret hangar where the Turbokat slept between missions. Chance managed to reach the receiver of Callie Briggs' communicator before Jake did.

"Yes, Miss Briggs," Chance answered as he picked it up.

"We've got a bit of a problem, guys," Callie told him.

"We're all ears," Jake piped in, his amber eyes alight with excitement.

"The Metallikats are at City Hall and one of them is fighting a friend of mine who is trying to keep her away from me," the Deputy Mayor informed them.

"Got it, Miss Briggs. We'll be right there," Chance told her as he hung up. "Come on, Razor. We're needed."

"Right behind ya, T-Bone," Jake replied with his friend's alias as he joined the tom in changing into the SWAT Kats.

A few moments earlier…

Kaya calmly walked beside Deputy Mayor Callie Briggs, a small, relaxed smile on the former's face. She wore a pair of jeans, black boots, white t-shirt, and had a gray duffel bag slung over her right shoulder. She and Callie had been close friends since they were kittens, making the Deputy Mayor one of few that made Kaya feel at ease that Kaya actually knew about.

"It's nice to see you again after so long, Kaya. I'm actually surprised that you haven't come home sooner. You actually faced the media that bugs you so much; I'm really proud of you," Callie congratulated with a smile.

"I know and thanks," Kaya replied softly. "I'm trying to relax more around people I don't know or who ask me personal questions. But it isn't working as well as I had hoped. If anything, I'm actually becoming more stressed than ever around most reporters."

"It's not that big of a deal, Kaya. Since you're a gymnast, you don't have to give a lot of interviews as a rule," Callie countered comfortingly.

"I know, but I do need to occasionally. Have you even seen the few interviews I have done?" Kaya asked as she turned to her friend, the duffel bag over her shoulder swinging with her movement. "I always end up acting like some kind of idiot!"

"Maybe that's how it seems in your mind, Kaya, but that's not actually the case," Callie replied. "Your early ones have you stammering a few times, but lately, you answer with straight answers with that cool tone you use with people you aren't comfortable with or when you're angry." The blonde she-kat comfortingly squeezed her friend's shoulder.

"I guess that's because of too many years of practice," Kaya stated, her slightly fluffed fur from her freaked reaction smoothing as she calmed down. A sudden flash of movement from an alley they walked by on their way to City Hall caught the gymnast's emerald eye. "Hey, Callie?"

"What is it?" the she-kat asked, instantly serious at the tone in her friend's voice.

"A Metallikat resembles the name, right?" Kaya asked softly, her eyes narrowed slightly and glued where she had seen the metal robot flash by.

"Yes. Why?" Callie asked suspiciously.

"Call the SWAT Kats. I'll see if I can keep one of those robots busy until those toms get here," Kaya answered as she darted after the metallic she-kat who had caught her eye. "I think they're after you or the mayor!"

The gymnast jumped in a zigzag pattern up the walls of the alley and over the metal she-kat's head before flipping in midair as she fell to land in front of Molly and face her. Kaya stood slowly, looking the android squarely in the eye.

"Hey, there," she stated in a friendly tone. "Mind telling me what you're doing… Molly, isn't it?"

"Dat's me," Molly answered, her crimson eyes glowing a smidge brighter. "What's it ta you?"

"Just checking," she chirped automatically. "So, what are you after?"

"What business is it of yours? You're just a smart-alecky gymnast. It doesn't concern you."

"That means you're after Callie. Afraid I can't let you hurt her. She's my best friend and we made a promise to each other to protect each other." The blonde female then swung her leg upwards into her opponent's head, momentarily forgetting that Molly was made completely of metal. Molly's head reflected the blow and the she-kat caught Kaya's leg and threw the gymnast onto the ground. Molly then proceeded to pin the gymnast to the wall by her throat with one clawed hand.

"How touching," she spat sarcastically. "In case you've forgotten, short stuff, it'll take more dan dat ta stop me!"

Kaya's emerald eyes flared angrily at the insult. "I'm not that much shorter than you, you overgrown can opener!" she snarled angrily. Her eyes instantly resembled the emeralds whose color they shared and her voice was so cold that an iceberg appeared warm and cuddly in comparison.

The she-kat savagely slammed her booted foot into a slightly less protected part of Molly's body, forcing her to back off and drop her. Kaya landed easily in a crouch before she kicked the android into one of the walls of the alley with as much strength as her small frame contained, managing to break Molly into bits.

"What do ya know, Razor?" T-Bone asked as they flew over Kaya's alley in time to see her little showdown with Molly. "Looks like you were right about your little gymnast's martial arts skills. She just kicked Molly's tail to kingdom come."

"Didn't I tell ya that she was strong enough to take out someone twice her size, T-Bone?" Razor retorted. "She's at least as tough you or me. Now, where's Mac?"

"He's got Callie!" T-Bone shouted in alarm as he spotted the heavier built android that had Callie in hand.

"When did he get onto the roof?" Razor demanded as his partner circled just out of sight of Mac Mange.

"I don't know, buddy, but we have to stop him before he drops Callie," T-Bone answered as he hovered the Turbokat briefly. "Any ideas, sureshot?"

"Yeah, I've got one. Find a way to keep Kaya away from him! She could get killed," Razor yelled in alarm as he looked down at the roof. The gymnast had done a zigzag-jumping pattern up the walls again to reach the roof and was staking up behind Mac, claws extended and her eyes narrowed in rage.

"Anytime you're ready, Razor," T-Bone stated impatiently as Kaya grew closer to Mac.

"Deploying net missiles and sky-claw," Razor announced.

"Missiles?" T-Bone asked.

"One to nab Mac, the other to nab Kaya, if she pounces before Mac goes down and overshoots when he does, and Callie, if Mac drops her," Razor explained as he pushed the corresponding buttons to deploy both the net missiles and the sky-claw.

Kaya launched herself at Mac a mere second before the net fell and she flew over the edge of the roof with Callie, who had been dropped when Mac was captured. Thankfully, Razor had been prepared for this and caught them securely in the second net that was attached to the sky-claw.

"They move fast, don't they?" Kaya asked Callie in admiration as the Turbokat lifted them into the air.

"That's the SWAT Kats for you," Callie replied proudly. "Sometimes it seems like they can move at the speed of light."

"Now I know you're exaggerating, Callie. No one has the tech to move at that speed just yet," Kaya told her friend as they were safely deposited onto the roof. The Turbokat landed nearby and her pilots hopped out of her to help Callie and Kaya get free of the nets.

"Hello, Miss Briggs," T-Bone teased as he helped the Deputy Mayor up. "Who's your pal?"

"You're Kaya Latoro, aren't you?" Razor asked softly as he helped the slightly shorter she-kat to her feet.

"Uh, yeah," Kaya answered hesitantly. Nerves struck her from years of overly exuberant male fans. She had been lucky to escape from some of them. "That's me. Mind if I ask who you two are?"

"I'm Razor and this is T-Bone," Razor replied with a small smile to help ease anxiety. "I'm a fan of yours, Miss Latoro. You're awesome on the uneven bars."

Kaya relaxed once Razor seemed to only be a fan of her ability and not something else. "Thank you, Razor. Please, just call me Kaya. You DID save my life just now.

"It's nice to hear from a fan," she continued with a smile. "It's not often that I hear praise form a tom about uneven bars. It's normally something to do with how I look." She released Razor's paw from the pawshake he had initiated when he had introduced himself and T-Bone. The other tom and Callie were watching the scene roll out with interest.

Razor's face contorted in confusion. "Are you kidding, Kaya? You're amazing!"

Kaya chuckled, a faint blush crossing her face. "It's nice to have a fan. You're pretty amazing yourselves, guys. Not everyone can save an entire city practically single-handedly," she told the toms with a slightly wider smile.

"You're being amazingly forward, Kaya," Callie teased as she approached her friend. The she-kat grinned when Kaya flushed and chuckled nervously.

"What can I say? I'm relaxed since I don't have to worry about public appearances for a while," she stuttered nervously. "That and only you three know I'm even in the city."

"Taking a break?" T-Bone asked.

"Actually, yes… Well, I gotta get home," Kaya replied with a warm smile at the SWAT Kats. "I'm overdue for some alone time."

"Do you want a ride there?" Razor offered hopefully.

"Thank you for the offer, but no thanks. I'd rather go by myself. Besides, you two might be needed to save the city and I don't want it to be my fault if you can't do so. I'll see ya around," Kaya called as she turned and walked off to the stairs that led to the roof from the inside of the building, her bushy tail following the smooth movement of her walk.

Razor stared after her, his mouth slightly open. "She's amazing," he murmured softly in awe.

"Kaya?" Callie asked with a knowing smile. At the cinnamon tom's nod, she smiled a little wider. "I would be careful in telling her that. Hero worshippers tend to spook her for some odd reason. But then, a majority of people who she isn't familiar with make her a little uneasy."

"For someone who isn't very comfortable around strangers, she seemed pretty relaxed with us," T-Bone stated.

"Like she said, Kaya hasn't been home in a long time. She's a bit out of sorts when she hasn't been home for longer than two weeks," Callie explained. "Besides that, you kept it friendly and easy.

"Anyway, I have to go," Callie said as she glanced at her watch. "You guys should, too, and drop Mac off with the Enforcers."

"Good point, Miss Briggs," Razor agreed as he recovered from his stupor from meeting his favorite sports star.

"See ya later!" he and T-Bone called as they climbed back into the Turbokat after attaching Mac and Molly's net to the sky-claw.

"Bye, guys!" Callie called after their jet took off.

A/N: There, first chappie done! Review, please, but if you flame, all it will be used for is for making smores and marshmallows. Fat chance of me replying like I normally do. Until next time, sayonara!


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